Page 130 of See You There

The detectives greeted them at the elevator. The viewing room looked exactly the way it did in the movies: a darkened room and a long one-way mirror. A man in an ill-fitting suit and a uniformed officer were standing at the back of the room.

“Ms. Everton, if you could stand here in front of the window, we’ll bring in the individuals. If you recognize anyone, just say their number. Do you understand?” the detective asked.

Dahlia nodded. She knew Hank wouldn’t be able to see her, but her heart rate picked up anyway, and her palms were clammy. A buzzer sounded, and the door visible through the window opened. Seven men filed in and faced her.

“Do you recognize any of the men?”

Dahlia felt queasy and turned to look at James standing next to her. The familiar profile brought a sharp pang to her chest, and she fought the urge to reach for his hand. She closed her eyes briefly, pushing the feelings away.

“Number three,” she said quietly.

“And where do you know him from?”

“He’s Chandler’s trainer.”

A look of consternation took over the detective’s face, and James’s lips turned down slightly. She looked back at Hank. What had she said wrong?

“What about the night of—”

“She already answered the question of how she knew him,” the man in the back said.

Understanding washed over Dahlia. “I didn’t see the man’s face the night of the robbery. Only his tattoo. I also heard his voice.”

The detectives used the intercom and instructed each of the men to raise their sleeves. Dahlia’s eyes widened when she saw orange blobs on all the wrists. They were similar, but not the same as the tattoo she had seen that night. She identified Hankagain. Next, the detective had the men repeat the phrase, “You’ll have to find me first.”

In less than five minutes, it was over, and Hank’s attorney left to join his client in booking.

“Ready?” James asked her.

“Actually, we wanted her to look at one more group,” the detective said.

James’s brows furrowed. “She already identified the man she saw. She didn’t see anything recognizable on anyone else.”

“That’s not completely true.” The detectives’ eyes were hard when they turned on her, and her instincts had alarms going off.

“Your client was present at an illegal gambling operation that night. Even though sheclaimsit was the first time, we think there is a good chance she saw who was in charge.”

Dahlia’s stomach fell to her feet, and she felt James stiffen next to her, only furthering the panic rising in her.

“That wasn’t what we were here for tonight.”

“Two birds with one stone.” The detective’s smile didn’t reassure her.

James kept his poker face when he looked back at her. “I’d like to confer with my client.”

“What’s the problem?” the detective argued. “You’ve already got a deal in place with the DA. She won’t be prosecuted even if she admits to gambling.”

“We need five minutes.”

The detective huffed an angry breath through his nose.

“Ms. Everton is under no obligation to do this. The deal with the DA is specific to her testimony on the robbery.”

“Fine. We thought maybe she’d want to do the right thing.”

“Can they see us in here?” She asked in a whisper when the room had cleared.

“They might watch us, but they can’t listen in, attorney client privilege.” James reassured her. “I need you to be honest with me right now. Did you see anything on any of the other thieves?”